Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

If you have mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms, your doctor may prefer to treat you in an outpatient setting, especially if you have supportive family and friends. Outpatient detoxification is safe, effective, and less costly than inpatient detoxification at a hospital or other facility.

However, you may require inpatient treatment if you don't have a reliable social network, are pregnant, or have a history of any of the following:

Phenytoin (Dilantin), an anticonvulsant which doesn't treat withdrawal seizures but may be useful in people with an underlying seizure disorder

Preventing Future Alcohol Withdrawal Episodes

Because successful treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome doesn't address the underlying disease of addiction, it should be followed by treatment for alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence.

Relatively brief outpatient interventions can be effective for alcohol abuse, but more intensive therapy may be required for alcohol dependence. If you have alcohol dependence, your doctor may prescribe other medications to help you stop drinking. He or she also may recommend joining a 12-step group -- such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous -- or staying at a comprehensive treatment facility that offers a combination of a 12-step model, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and family therapy.